Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan blasted an email to supporters Sunday night urging them to turn out at the city’s RFK Democratic Club meeting Tuesday night in support of NY-19 Democratic candidate Sean Eldridge.

Of course, Albany is no more in NY-19 than it was in 2006 when then-insurgent Kirsten Gillibrand was raising money in the capital city to unseat U.S. Rep. John Sweeney in what was then the 20th Congressional District.

Sheehan acknowledges this in the email and works in a less-than-subtle jab at two-term incumbent Republican Chris Gibson in the process.

Here in Albany, in the 20th Congressional District, we are lucky to have a great advocate and progressive leader in Congressman Paul Tonko, but the 19th Congressional District is not so lucky.”

It’s not unusual for candidates to drum up support and campaign cash in neighboring districts, but if there’s one thing we know for certain about Eldridge it’s that he doesn’t need the money.

Chris Gibson voted for the budget and then promptly turned around and voted against the authorization to pay for what he voted to spend. He did this for cover with the Tea Nuts that elected him. It was hypocritical AND bad public policy. Do we really need another vote in DC to keep John Boehner, or worse, in charge of the gavel? I say Hell No!

If she is working for us and assumedly busy with learning the ropes as mayor, why is she working on this carpet baggers campaign? And really Claire stop the red team blue team crap. Its tired and so 1980s. Vote your interests not your team. This district is shaping up to be a none of the above.

Sean Eldridge is only a candidate because he has money. No experience, moved to that district only to run for office, no possible reason people should vote for him. This is exactly why most people hate politics.

Yeah, that’s what Congress needs, a 27 year old law school dropout whose only qualification is that his spouse is a billionaire. That picture with Nancy Pelosi together with the two of them at their wedding in NYC pretty much says it all.

Sean Eldridge may or may not be in need of cash (let’s see how many millions the Oil & Insurance company billionaires raise for Gibson), but Eldridge needs the GRASROOTS, the supporters of Sheehan, Tonko & other progressives, the people who oppose the Bakken Oil coming through residential neighborhoods, the people who oppose fracking & other Corporate destruction of the planet.
Thanks Mayor Sheehan. Thanks RFK Democrats http://www.rfkdems.org/ for being REAL Democrats for so long.

Not a surprise that Sheehan supports taxin tonko and carpet bagger Eldridge.
Gibson = An American hero who fought both in Desert Storm and the Iraq War. He has served his district with honor and integrity.
Eldridge = Not even from the district just moved there and is trying to buy a congressional seat, we dont need another rich person trying to represent the middle class and poor all he will do is represent big business (he is married to it).
No brainer on who should be representing the 19 district = Gibson!!!
@Claire thanks to Obamacare and other lies coming out of the White House (IRS, Bengazi,fast and the furious, the list goes on)the Republicans are going to own both the Senate and House by the end of 2014. I am an Independant and I will be voting against all democrats in upcoming elections.

Claire, if it means that we avoid another term of Speaker Pelosi, then yes vote Gibson. Mr. Eldridge is a carpetbagging law school dropout with too much time on his hands. He is the last type of politician we need in Congress.

Chris Gibson is one of the few congressional representatives who honored his oath to “support and defend the constitution.” He voted against extending the PATRIOT Act. He voted against the NDAA, and he opposes NSA surveillance.
I don’t agree with all of his positions, but I believe his defense of our civil liberties trumps all.

Sean Eldridge is an Obama supporter. Do we really need another vote in DC to maintain and expand the surveillance state?

Mayor Sheehan needs to concentrate on the plowing and sanding of the city’s streets after the recent snow storm, rather than playing this political card. Her first duty is to insure that city residents are receiving essential city services, not backing far left factions of the Democratic Party, a party made of a majority of moderate – conservative members.

Gibson wraps himself in the flag to lap up Tea Party votes. He still dreams of building nuclear power plant in Saratoga County. And would love to threaten the water quality in NYS by allowing filthy fracking for carpet bagging landowners. That’s insensible short-sighted thinking, and not good for the state of New York in the long run.

Calling Progressives to arms to make war on the Colonel, is as American as apple pie. Right now, progressive mayor Cathy Sheehan is the brightest star in that wing of the Democrat Party, north of New York City. So, it is only natural that she would be asked, and respond affirmatively to the request that she blow the trumpet for Democrats in the 19th Congressional District. BTW, Western ADK, my street is plowed and sanded, is yours?

but Eldridge needs the GRASROOTS, the supporters of Sheehan, Tonko & other progressives, the people who oppose the Bakken Oil coming through residential neighborhoods
—
You mean the same group of people who oppose it going via a pipeline which is drastically safer? Progressives are a “funny” group!

One more time again, can I ask my Republican friends here if they can show me ONE SINGLE issue where Gibson stands with the 99% & Eldridge stands with the 1%?
The entire Republican party is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the greedy multi-national corporations who are screwing the Working Class every day.
On EVERY single issue, Republicans like Gibson are OWNED by the Corporate Lobbyists.

I love the part about Eldridge being a “strong progressive candidate.” This guy has absolutely nothing in the way of qualifications. He’s a total empty suit. All that he has going for him are his looks and his partner’s money. If this is a “strong” candidate, I shudder to think what a “weak” candidate would look like.

Sheehan should have just said, “Please support Sean Eldridge for Congress. Sean Eldridge cares SO MUCH about the people of District NY-19 that he moved there just to become their representative! And plus, he’s a liberal, he’s cute, and his same-sex ‘spouse’ is fabulously wealthy. What more could we possibly want in a new Member of Congress? Don’t forget to send your check today!!”

Wish the new mayor of Albany could spend as much time clearing the streets of Albany so TWO (2) cars could drive past each other without hitting the snow banks on each side of the streets and stop her politicking ala Bullosey and the rest of the left leaning crowd. Of course streets in her neighborhood are fine. Hmmmmm?

“And really Claire stop the red team blue team crap. Its tired and so 1980s. Vote your interests not your team.”
So says knuckles – except Red/Blue is a Bush/Gore 2000 thing and “Reds” sure do keep fanning that flame – step out of line and you’ll get primaried – talk about your “fast and furious”. A vote for Gibson is a vote for the Reds and Boehner will tell him how to vote. And Andrew – the right wing just trolls on with its own facts and reality (such as they are) as supplied by Faux News, and personal attacks such as Claire is not “normal” or is “off her meds”.

This make a mockery of representative democracy … like everything else these days.
–
Our country is going to be stolen from us and destroyed. Then, Americans will stand around and ask: “What happened? Why?”

sammy, how would we even KNOW what Eldridge stands for? So far all he has done is give out LOANS with his husband’s money, and pose for a bunch of photo ops. Oh, that’s right..He is about campaign finance reform. Trouble is, he talks the talk but can’t walk the walk. Therefore he has zero credibility.

Ms. Sheehan needs to worry about the increasing amount of shootings that are occuring in our city and the graduation rate of the city’s high school students(49%, the worst in the area) instead of worrying about what is going on in another district. How is the safe act working for the city of Albany?

In office half an hour and already sticking her nose outside the district. Wait, Eldridge is not from the district either.

I want my Mayor to take care of our snow and garbage, not someone else’s. But if that’s too harsh, please give up the office and let someone who wants the job, do the job. Only Gulliani can get away with that.

BTW, you are doing a great job with the snow removal in the city, and I am not kidding.

About Capitol Confidential

Capitol Confidential gathers the best coverage of New York politics and puts it all together. Each section - Capitol, The State Worker, New York on the Potomac, and Voices - represents a unique facet of the political scene. The Capitol section features coverage from the Times Union Capitol bureau. The State Worker is dedicated to state worker issues. New York on the Potomac offers news of interest to New Yorkers from Washington. And Voices features the best of everything else, pointing you to columnists and bloggers from across the Web.